Many recreational devices and toys combine recreation with physical benefit. A hoop-like toy which rotates about a player's waist is a good example of a toy which combines recreation with beneficial exercise. Such toys are commonly referred to as "Hula-Hoops."
A common usage involves placing the hoop-like toy about one's body and then manually imparting a spinning motion to the hoop. This motion is maintained by suitable body gyrations of the player. The physical benefits are greatest when the hoop is continually rotated about a player's waist area. As will be appreciated, the weight of the toy should be minimized such that the body motion of the player need not be too extensive to maintain rotation of the toy.
The gyrations a player must make to maintain the toy at the waist region stimulates the cardiovascular system, increases physical strength, and generally improves muscle tone and coordination. Of course, the physical benefits resulting from use of such a toy are proportional to the period of time one exerts such efforts.
In using such a toy, however, it is very easy to lose count of the number of rotations performed as a result of which, the user very quickly loses interest. The fun of playing with such a toy, therefore, could be increased if the number of rotations could be automatically calculated rather than requiring the player or another to maintain a constant visual and repetitive count.